State Awards $227,000 To 19 Rural Hospitals

PIERRE, S.D. – Nineteen rural hospitals in South Dakota will receive a total of $227,409 in federal funding for projects to improve patient safety and access, reduce medication errors, reduce hospital readmissions and improve operations.

The federal Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program funding comes through the South Dakota Department of Health. Over the last 13 years, rural hospitals in South Dakota have received more than $4,356,000 in direct awards through the program.

Hospitals must be Medicare-certified as critical access to be eligible for the funds. Critical access hospitals receive a higher Medicare reimbursement rate and are eligible for federal funding for improvement projects. There are currently 38 critical access hospitals in South Dakota.